Riddles for kids
These riddles for kids are short, clean and fun, written so that children can solve them on their own or with a little help from a parent or teacher. Every riddle comes with its answer, and the trickier ones have a one line explanation so nobody is left confused.
You will find easy riddles for kids aged 5 and up, funny riddles that make the whole family laugh, animal riddles, tricky puzzles and a set of hard riddles for kids who want a real challenge. Read one aloud, let everyone guess, then tap Show answer.
Easy riddles for kids with answers
Riddle 1
I wear a shiny red coat and sit in your lunchbox. Bite me and you hear a crunch. What am I?
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An appleRiddle 2
The more I wash your hands, the smaller I become, and I leave bubbly foam behind. What am I?
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A bar of soapRiddle 3
Soft and wide with cushions on top, I have room for the whole family to sit together. What am I?
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A sofaRiddle 4
Yellow and curved, I come in a bunch. Peel off my jacket and eat me at lunch. What am I?
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A bananaRiddle 5
After the rain I lie on the road, waiting for children in boots to jump right into me. What am I?
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A puddleRiddle 6
I have a long body made of many coaches, and I go chug chug along the track. What am I?
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A trainRiddle 7
Blow into me and I grow fat and round. Let go of my string and I float away. What am I?
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A balloonRiddle 8
My tongue cannot taste and my laces tie me tight. Your foot slips inside me every morning. What am I?
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A shoeRiddle 9
The more I write, the shorter I grow. I leave a grey line wherever I go. What am I?
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A pencilRiddle 10
I am made of water, yet I am hard. Drop me in your juice to keep it cold. What am I?
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An ice cube
Funny riddles for kids
Riddle 11
Why did the student bring a ladder to school?
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She wanted to go to high schoolA ladder takes you higher, so it is a joke on the words high school.
Riddle 12
What kind of tree can you hold in your hand?
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A palm treeThe palm of your hand shares its name with the palm tree.
Riddle 13
I make you cry but I never say a mean word. Cut me in the kitchen and you will see. What am I?
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An onionRiddle 14
I am a shoe's best friend, but the washing machine keeps hiding my partner. What am I?
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A sockRiddle 15
I jump and pop in a hot pan, then turn white and fluffy. You munch me at the movies. What am I?
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PopcornRiddle 16
Why did the cloud stay home from school?
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It was feeling under the weatherFeeling under the weather means feeling unwell, and a cloud is always in the weather.
Riddle 17
What do you call a bear with no teeth?
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A gummy bearWith no teeth it can only chew with its gums, so it is gummy.
Riddle 18
Which key cannot open any lock but loves to eat bananas?
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A monkeyThe word monkey ends in key.
Riddle 19
I have teeth but I never bite. I march through your hair every morning. What am I?
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A combRiddle 20
Big and grey with one horn on my nose, I am definitely not a unicorn. What am I?
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A rhinocerosThe Indian rhinoceros has a single horn on its nose.
Animal riddles for kids
Riddle 21
Small and round with sharp spikes on my back, I curl into a prickly ball when I am scared. What am I?
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A hedgehogRiddle 22
Black and white, round and slow, I munch on bamboo wherever I go. What am I?
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A pandaRiddle 23
I lie still in the river like a log, but watch out for my long jaws full of sharp teeth. What am I?
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A crocodileRiddle 24
Tap tap tap, I knock on tree trunks with my strong beak to find the bugs hiding inside. What am I?
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A woodpeckerRiddle 25
All day I hang upside down in a dark cave. When the sun goes down, I fly out to hunt. What am I?
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A batRiddle 26
I begin life as a wiggly tadpole and grow up to croak beside the pond. What am I?
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A frogRiddle 27
This bird cannot fly, but it can outrun a horse and it lays the biggest eggs of all. What is it?
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An ostrichRiddle 28
Eight arms, no bones, I live in the sea, and I squirt ink at anyone who scares me. What am I?
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An octopusRiddle 29
In the corner of your room I spin a sticky net and wait for flies to visit. What am I?
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A spiderRiddle 30
I live in the sea but breathe air through a hole on top of my head, and I love to leap and play. What am I?
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A dolphin
Tricky riddles for kids with answers
Riddle 31
Before anyone can make an omelette for breakfast, they have to break me. What am I?
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An eggYou crack the shell first, then you can cook what is inside.
Riddle 32
Riya's mother has three daughters. Two of them are named Asha and Usha. What is the third one's name?
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RiyaThe riddle starts by saying it is Riya's mother, so Riya is the third daughter.
Riddle 33
You see me once in June, twice in November and never in May. What am I?
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The letter EJune has one E, November has two and May has none.
Riddle 34
I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
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SevenTake the S off seven and you are left with the word even.
Riddle 35
Anyone can catch me, but nobody can throw me, and I make you sneeze for days. What am I?
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A coldYou catch a cold from someone, but you cannot throw it like a ball.
Riddle 36
A farmer has 12 hens. All but 5 fly over the fence. How many hens are left?
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5All but 5 means every hen except 5 flew away, so 5 stay.
Riddle 37
I am a time of day and my name reads the same backwards. The sun is highest when I arrive. What am I?
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NoonN-O-O-N spelled backwards is still noon, and it is 12 o'clock in the day.
Riddle 38
If you drop me I might crack, but if you smile at me I always smile back. What am I?
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A mirrorRiddle 39
I have bark but I never bite, and I stand in one place day and night. What am I?
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A treeA dog barks, but a tree has bark on its trunk.
Riddle 40
Tina is taller than Ravi, and Ravi is taller than Sam. Who is the shortest?
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SamTina is above Ravi and Ravi is above Sam, so Sam is at the bottom.
Hard riddles for kids with answers
Riddle 41
A boy has as many sisters as brothers, but each sister has only half as many sisters as brothers. How many boys and girls are there?
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4 boys and 3 girlsA boy sees 3 brothers and 3 sisters. A girl sees 2 sisters and 4 brothers, and 2 is half of 4.
Riddle 42
You hold me without using your hands, you can see me on a cold winter morning, and you run out of me after a race. What am I?
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Your breathRiddle 43
Put one letter in front of ONE to make a word that means not a single one. What is the word?
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NoneN plus ONE spells NONE.
Riddle 44
Two fathers and two sons go fishing. They catch three fish and each gets one. How?
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Grandfather, father and sonThe father is both a father and a son, so there are only three people.
Riddle 45
I am a three digit number. My tens digit is 6 more than my ones digit, my hundreds digit is 7 less than my tens digit, and my digits add up to 11. What am I?
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182Only 182 and 293 fit the first two clues, and only 1 + 8 + 2 adds up to 11.
Riddle 46
Meena is 6 and her brother is half her age. When Meena is 20, how old will her brother be?
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17Her brother is 3, so he is always 3 years younger. 20 minus 3 is 17.
Riddle 47
Kabir has 3 red pencils and 4 blue pencils in a dark bag. How many must he pull out to be sure of two the same colour?
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3The first two could be different colours, but the third must match one of them.
Riddle 48
A snail climbs 3 metres up a 10 metre wall each day and slides down 2 metres each night. On which day does it reach the top?
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Day 8It gains 1 metre a day, so after 7 nights it is at 7 metres. On day 8 it climbs 3 more and reaches 10.
Riddle 49
No wings, yet I float. No eyes, yet I cry. I turn grey and heavy before the rain. What am I?
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A cloudRiddle 50
Pihu has 3 apples. She gives 1 to each of her 2 friends, then her mother gives her 4 more. How many apples does she have now?
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5 applesShe gives away 2, so 3 minus 2 leaves 1, and 1 plus 4 more makes 5.
Riddles for kids: images to share
Save any card and share it. The answer is printed upside down at the bottom of each card.
How to use these riddles
Riddles are a great way to build vocabulary, logic and confidence. In class, a teacher can write one riddle on the board at the start of the day and reveal the answer before the last bell. At home, try a riddle at the dinner table or on a long car ride, and let the youngest child guess first so older siblings do not grab every answer.
When a riddle feels hard, slow down and read each clue on its own. Ask what the words could mean in a different way, because many riddles play with words like bark, palm or key. Make a list of things that fit the first clue, then cross out anything that does not fit the next one. Children who get stuck can ask for a hint instead of the answer, which keeps the fun going a little longer.
Tips
- Start with the easy section for children under seven and move to tricky and hard riddles once they are guessing quickly.
- Give a small hint, such as where you might find the object, before you reveal the answer.
- Ask children to write one new riddle of their own after solving five, which turns guessing into creative writing.
More riddles and puzzles
Questions people ask
What is a good riddle for kids?
A good riddle for kids describes something they see every day in a surprising way, like a pencil that grows shorter the more it writes. The answer should make them say oh, of course, once they hear it.
What are some easy riddles for kids with answers?
Try the easy section at the top of this page, with riddles about apples, balloons, trains and soap. They suit children from about five years old.
What age are these riddles for kids suitable for?
The easy and animal riddles suit ages 5 to 8, while the tricky and hard riddles are better for ages 8 to 12. Younger children can still enjoy the hard ones with an adult reading the clues.
How can kids get better at solving riddles?
Practice a few riddles every day and talk through why each answer works. Over time children learn to spot word tricks and to test every clue against their guess.
Are these funny riddles for kids safe for school?
Yes. Every riddle on this page is clean, kind and suitable for the classroom, so teachers can use them in morning circle time or as quick brain breaks.
Every riddle on this page is written and checked by the Paheli World team. How we make our riddles.